Business

This week in Shelter Island history

REPORTER FILE PHOTO | Fire Commissioner Richie Surozenski (left) and former supervisor Alfred Kilb Jr. were re-elected chiefs of the Shelter Island Heights and Shelter Island “Center” Fire Departments in 1983.

10 YEARS AGO

Allan M. Schneider Associates
At this time 10 years ago, Allan M. Schneider Associates was among the major real estate companies in the area with nine satellite offices throughout the East End. Schneider typically ran multi-page advertisements of its listings and was considered an East End leader in its field. It was there that Penelope Moore went to work early in her real estate career. When Schneider merged with the Corcoran Group, Ms. Moore went to work for Corcoran, quickly becoming one of its top producers.
POSTSCRIPT: Just this week, Saunders & Associates announced that Ms. Moore would be coming aboard as a senior vice president handling a satellite office on Shelter Island.

20 YEARS AGO

North Ferry rate hike goes before public
A proposed increase in North Ferry prices was pending with the Suffolk County Legislature back in 1993 and, prior to acting on the application, legislators wanted feedback from Shelter Island residents on the proposal. A five-day commuter pass for residents in 1993 cost $15 and the company was asking that it be raised to $20. Car and driver roundtrip cost was $6.50 for nonresidents and a hike of $1.50 was being sought. In its application for a hike, North Ferry cited a decline in casual and vacationing visitors to Shelter Island that resulted in the company operating at cash flow loss. More money was needed for proper maintenance of the fleet, the application said.
POSTSCRIPT: Now, a five-day commuter pass costs $26 and the cost of a roundtrip fare for car and driver is $15.

30 YEARS AGO

Kilb, Surozenski re-elected fire chiefs

The year was 1983 and Richie Surozenski was re-elected to a second term as chief of the Shelter Island Heights Fire Department while Alfred Kilb Jr. of the Shelter Island “Center” Fire Department. Mr. Kilb first became chief in 1980, while Mr. Surozenski was embarking on his second year as chief. Both men were unopposed in their bids to continue their roles. Mr. Surozenski went on to serve as chairman of the Shelter Island Fire District  Commission in 2012, while Mr. Kilb subsequently served the town as supervisor.
POSTSCRIPT: Mr. Surozenski continues to serve as a commissioner for the now single Shelter Island Fire District while Mr. Kilb continues to be involved in town affairs, currently as a member of the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board.

50 YEARS AGO

Board reduces speed limit
Fifty years ago, the Shelter Island Town Board set a 30 mph on all roads. At the time, the board was faced with posting a single speed limit at North and South ferries or having to put up  signs that would be three feet high and four feet wide throughout the town for various speed limits. The New York State Department of Public Works regulates highway markings and its requirements for the signs indicated that they would have to be posted wherever speed limits were increased or decreased.
POSTSCRIPT: Shelter Island today still has no traffic lights, but speeds do vary on various roadways, with smaller signs sufficing to alert motorists that New York Avenue, for example, is posted at 25 mph, while North Menantic Road allows a 35 mph speed limit.